Chapter 84 – Filling in the Gaps

It turned out that ever since the Bone-Washing Burial began a few days ago, the Jiang family had been experiencing various strange omens. First, Old Master Jiang, who was overseeing the Bone-Washing Burial, suffered a wind chill in his leg, making it difficult for him to walk. Then, the house started to experience disturbances. The so-called “disturbances” refer to a common supernatural phenomenon in rural areas, where pots and pans in the house would clatter on their own at night. In another household, this might have scared people out of their wits, but the Jiang family was no ordinary family. Old Master Jiang wasn’t frightened at all; instead, he took it as a sign that the household immortal had returned. No matter how mysterious household immortals were, they were, after all, animals that had cultivated to immortality, especially the Yellow Immortal and Fox Immortal, which were the most mischievous. He had heard many stories of such disturbances during his childhood.

This made Old Master Jiang extremely happy. After all, such phenomena hadn’t occurred in their home for decades. He had thought he would never see the return of the household immortal in his lifetime. However, after searching the house, he couldn’t find a suitable offering. Upon inquiring, he instead heard that the youngest son of the Wei family had returned. The timing was too coincidental, which made the old man suspect something.

But before the offering could be prepared, the Zhufang talisman shattered, whether due to being carelessly placed during the Bone-Washing Burial or for some other reason. Then, Old Master Jiang fell ill, with yellow fluid oozing from his nose and mouth, and his body trembling uncontrollably. It didn’t seem like he was possessed by an immortal animal but rather by a malevolent ghost. This was the first time in several generations that a direct descendant of the Jiang family had fallen victim to such a thing, so how could Jiang Nian not be anxious?

Hearing this, Wei Yang frowned slightly: “Just because there were disturbances at home, grand uncle suspected I was the offering? Uncle, that doesn’t make sense. There must have been some other reason.”

Unsurprised by Wei Yang’s sharpness, Jiang Nian hesitated for a moment before finally speaking: “Indeed, it wasn’t just the disturbances. In fact, on the night you returned, the Zhufang talisman emitted light. My father saw it with his own eyes. That’s the real treasure of our family and the only tool to communicate with the great immortal. It must have been a sign from the immortal!”

Jiang Nian spoke with absolute certainty, but Wei Yang didn’t believe a word of it. No one knew better than him that the real Zhufang talisman had always been hidden in the ancestral home of the Wei family. The one the Jiang family had been worshipping was, at best, a masterful replica crafted by his grandfather. There was no way it could emit light. However, while the wooden carving couldn’t emit light, something else might.

With this thought in mind, Wei Yang frowned and asked, “After that, did you see the Zhufang talisman emit light again? For example, last night when grand uncle fell ill…”

“No.” Jiang Nian’s eyes dimmed. The light had only appeared that one night. After that, the Zhufang talisman showed no signs of activity and even cracked during the Bone-Washing Burial. Because of this, Old Master Jiang fell gravely ill and was plagued by evil spirits. Now, even Wei Yang couldn’t summon the immortal. What were they supposed to do?

Wei Yang, however, smiled reassuringly: “Uncle, I don’t mean to dampen your spirits, but maybe the problem lies in that light. Since the Zhufang talisman had never emitted light before, why did it suddenly do so that night? Could something have entered the house that day?”

“How could that be? Our house is protected by immortals. Ordinary evil spirits wouldn’t…” Jiang Nian stopped mid-sentence as his gaze fell on the bed, where the old man was still trembling uncontrollably. It didn’t look normal at all, and his words trailed off.

“Therefore, things can’t always be judged by old traditions,” Wei Yang said matter-of-factly, decisively concluding the matter. He then pulled Zhang Xiuqi, who was standing beside him, forward. “Uncle, this is Mr. Zhang, whom I recently met. He’s a true inheritor of the Celestial Master Dao. If you trust me, why not let him take a look?”

Jiang Nian’s brows furrowed deeply. Only now did he take a proper look at the young man standing beside Wei Yang. With his cold and stern demeanor, he did indeed seem like someone from beyond the mortal world. But he was so young—could he really handle this?

Seeing the other’s hesitation, Wei Yang added, “He’s the son of that Master Zhang who exorcised the demons in Wang Village. The one who saved my life when I was a child.”

Hearing this, Jiang Nian’s expression changed instantly: “It’s really him? What happened in Wang Village back then was truly terrifying. Even our household immortal didn’t dare get involved. So it was the work of the Celestial Master Dao! No wonder, no wonder!”

Wei Yang’s grip on Zhang Xiuqi’s hand tightened slightly, but his expression remained calm: “Exactly. If it weren’t for his father, who knows what kind of disaster would have happened back then.”

Jiang Nian wholeheartedly agreed: “Yes, I’ve also heard from my father. That was a grand formation set up by humans. If it weren’t for Celestial Master Zhang, the entire Wang Village would have been doomed. Later, your grandfather even went to Wang Village specifically to adjust the feng shui. I didn’t expect…” His tone shifted, and a respectful expression appeared on his otherwise dull face. “Then, could Little Celestial Master Zhang take a look at my father…”

Zhang Xiuqi didn’t respond. Instead, he frowned and looked at Wei Yang. The hand he was holding was now damp with sweat and trembling slightly, but its owner’s voice remained steady: “I brought him here specifically for this, uncle. You can rest assured.”

With that, Wei Yang turned to Zhang Xiuqi and smiled: “Brother Qi, could you first find a way to stabilize my grand uncle? Let the old man feel better, and then we’ll investigate the root of the problem.”

Zhang Xiuqi’s frown deepened. However, seeing the faint plea in Wei Yang’s eyes, he ultimately said nothing and quickly walked over to the bed. With a crisp sound, he slapped a talisman onto Old Master Jiang’s forehead. The talisman, whatever it was made of, immediately calmed the old man’s body. He stopped trembling, and the flow of yellow fluid from his nose and mouth slowed significantly.

Seeing this, Jiang Nian was almost ready to prostrate himself in reverence. He had witnessed his family’s exorcism rituals before, and each time they had been grand affairs, involving chanting spells and administering medicine. When dealing with powerful demons, the household immortal itself had to take action. But this Little Celestial Master had achieved immediate results with just a single talisman. It seemed the methods of the orthodox sects were far more effective than their rural folk practices!

However, before he could ask the other to continue, Wei Yang had already smiled and said: “It seems the evil spirit is still within manageable limits. If we look carefully, we should be able to find the real cause. But uncle, we got up early today and haven’t even had breakfast yet. What do you think…”

Wei Yang smiled, but Jiang Nian’s heart sank. He hadn’t expected things to take this turn. Wei Yang was, after all, a nephew of the family, and they could discuss things openly. But the Little Celestial Master was different. No one dared to be so discourteous when inviting a master, especially someone from a divine shaman family like his. How could he not understand this etiquette?

Immediately adjusting his attitude, Jiang Nian’s expression became even more respectful: “You’re right. How about I have someone prepare breakfast first? After Little Celestial Master has eaten, he can then perform the rituals and set up the formation?”

Wei Yang nodded immediately: “Thank you, uncle. We’ll stay in this room and make sure grand uncle is safe. Once the food is ready, just set it up in the outer room.”

Having been so considerate, Jiang Nian couldn’t say anything more and quickly left to make arrangements. However, he left with a cautious thought, taking the broken Zhufang talisman with him. Yet Wei Yang didn’t even glance at him. Instead, he turned to Zhang Xiuqi and smiled: “Brother Qi, the evil spirit isn’t in this room, is it?”

Wei Yang knew Zhang Xiuqi’s temperament all too well. Regardless of whether he knew someone or not, if he encountered an evil spirit, he would never ignore it. It was practically instinctive. However, ever since entering this room, Zhang Xiuqi hadn’t made any move to go out and exorcise the evil spirit, which meant the root of the problem wasn’t here.

Zhang Xiuqi indeed nodded, but his gaze remained fixed on Wei Yang’s face, as if trying to see through his thoughts. A bitter smile appeared on Wei Yang’s lips. He understood what the other was worried about, but what he had learned from the Jiang family today had left him unable to remain calm.

What his grandfather had written in his diary wasn’t the truth—at least, not the whole truth. Now that he thought about it, it made sense. If it had really just been a “Skin Walker incident,” how could it have escaped the notice of the household immortal? Back then, his grandmother was still a proper Jiang Nu, and Aunt Hu hadn’t gone mad. Dealing with a mere dog should have been easy for them, so why had it resulted in two deaths? Moreover, the “grand formation” Jiang Nian had mentioned wasn’t mentioned at all in the diary. That was his grandfather’s private journal, written in the Spring Point cipher. If even that didn’t mention it, the only possibility was that what was hidden was too shocking, and his grandfather didn’t want anyone to know, not even his own grandson.

And that was just the tip of the iceberg. What was even more perplexing was the reason why the Fox Immortal had gone mad. Putting aside other explanations for now, one thing Jiang Nian said was indeed true: if the household immortal had been so vicious, the Jiang family would have been foolish to keep it for generations. Every generation of Jiang Han and Jiang Nu must have been under the protection of the Fox Immortal. And judging from the effect of touching the Zhufang talisman, Wei Yang should have been an exceptionally promising candidate for Jiang Han. So why had he provoked Foxy Lady’s intense hatred? What had driven the fox to kill? Could it also be related to the grand formation in Wang Village?

Ultimately, it all came back to one thing—what exactly had happened that night in Wang Village…

Wei Yang closed his eyes, trying to suppress all these thoughts into the depths of his heart. He stood quietly for a moment, and when he opened his eyes again, the turmoil in his gaze had disappeared, replaced by his usual calmness. His eyes swept across the room, and he walked straight toward the shrine in the outer room.

Zhang Xiuqi followed, unsure of what was happening, and stopped when they reached the shrine. Wei Yang bent down and began carefully examining the small wooden shrine, as if searching for something. But to Zhang Xiuqi, there was nothing there.

As if sensing Zhang Xiuqi’s confusion, Wei Yang explained softly: “Brother Qi, the Zhufang talisman isn’t the real one, but they insist they saw it emit light. If that’s true, there must have been something that emitted the light. This shrine looks exactly like the one I saw in my dream. It must have been passed down along with the ghostly yin wood. If you think about it, such a sinister object wouldn’t just be placed in the house without any protective measures. As long as the ancestors of the Jiang family weren’t fools, they must have had some backup measures. Maybe the thing that emitted the light was that…”

His voice was very soft as his fingers carefully explored the interior of the shrine, as if searching for some mechanism. The shrine wasn’t very large, and its internal structure was quite limited. Half a minute later, Wei Yang’s fingers paused slightly on the lotus platform where the Zhufang talisman had been placed. It was also a wooden platform, and due to years of holding the statue, it showed some wear. From the small gaps, it was clear that the platform wasn’t made of expensive sunken wood or even locust wood, but rather willow wood. Why would they place a willow wood platform beneath the ghostly yin wood? One attracts ghosts, while the other wards them off. They were fundamentally incompatible…

Wei Yang’s eyes narrowed, and he suddenly grabbed the lotus platform, shaking it left and right. With a slight tug, the wooden platform fell off the shrine. It turned out that the platform wasn’t carved as a single piece but was a cleverly designed component with a hidden latch to ensure it wouldn’t fall off. In terms of craftsmanship, it was truly a masterpiece. However, Wei Yang didn’t pay attention to the lotus platform in his hand. His gaze was entirely focused on the shrine. Beneath the platform was a shallow groove containing something white, round, and very familiar to Wei Yang.

It was a bone formation.